1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the general field of computing systems and, more particularly, to the development of integrated development environments utilized by computing systems and, even more particularly, to accessing components for use by the integrated development environments.
2. Background and Relevant Art
There are many different types of systems and environments that can be used by a computer programmer to develop code and create computer programs. These systems and environments are collectively referred to herein as Integrated Development Environments (IDEs). IDEs typically include graphical interfaces comprising toolboxes of components for developing code. Non-limiting examples of programming components include controls, IDE extensions and plugins.
A RAD (Rapid Application Development) system, for example, provides visual tools that can be selected by a programmer to build programs very quickly, without having to author every line of code. Non-limiting examples of RAD systems include Visual Basic, Delphi, Eclipse, Dreamweaver and Netbeans. RAD systems historically emphasized the programming speed at which code could be developed at the expense of generating efficient code. However, they can now be used to produce code quickly and without compromising the efficiency of the code.
Other traditional programming environments have also made improvements that enable them to utilize many of the visual tools and graphical interfaces that were previously available only in a RAD system. Accordingly, the line between RAD systems and non-RAD systems is somewhat blurred. Accordingly, embodiments within the scope of the present application extend broadly to any IDE that can be utilized to develop code with the use of IDE type components.
As mentioned above, an IDE typically includes toolboxes of components that can be used to develop code. However, the toolboxes that are provided with an IDE do not always include all of the components that a programmer wishes to use. Accordingly, some programmers have found it useful to develop customized components that can be used to enhance the IDE in which they are programming. ASP.NET, by Microsoft, Inc., for example allows third party developers to create new and interesting components that can be integrated into an IDE to program code.
If a programmer desires to utilize a component that does not currently exist within an IDE, the programmer can independently create or locate the desired component and install it. This, however, may not be very efficient. In particular, there is no convenient way to search for, compare, or share newly created components. Accordingly, the programmer may be unaware that the desired component already exists and may unknowingly recreate the desired Z>component, thereby ‘reinventing the wheel’.
Even when the programmer knows that the desired component exists, it can still be difficult to track down and integrate the component into the IDE. In particular, even when the programmer knows exactly where the desired component resides, existing development environments do not enable the programmer to access the desired component directly from within the IDE. Rather, the programmer must utilize other applications to access the desired component for installation into the IDE.